Case Number 04742: Small Claims Court

BRIAN EPSTEIN: INSIDE THE FIFTH BEATLE

The Charge

Meet the Beatles...and the man behind them.

The Case

The Beatles' legacy is so large, so universal in its importance and impact,
that it's sometimes easy to forget the people behind the scenes who helped make
it all happen. As much as John, Paul, George, and Ringo were responsible for
reinventing rock and roll for the rest of the 20th century, their sound would
have been substantially less innovative had George Martin not been available to
produce their records. As much as the mop-topped drummer with the oversized
schnozzola is credited for founding the group's backbeat, Richard Starkey's rise
to stardom would never have happened had Pete Best not been booted from the
band.

And then there is Brian Epstein. A quite, reserved man of privilege from a
well-off Liverpool family, Epstein turned a passing fancy for pop music into the
management of the most influential rock band of all time. Ruthless, erudite, and
hiding a secret so shocking to '60s British society that it remained "in
the closet" for years, Epstein's knack for publicity and access to industry
connections (he also ran his father's famous department store record shop) made
him a natural to help the Fab Four reach "the toppermost of the
poppermost." Sadly, as the Beatles' profile shot straight into the
stratosphere, Epstein became more or less ancillary to their goals, and by 1967
he was a near non-entity in the day-to-day operations of the group's growing
empire. Without a secure place in the band's dynamic, depressed over his secret
lifestyle, worried that his expiring contract with the boys would mean his end
as manager, and driven by a horrible drug addiction, Epstein died alone and
distraught in his home, accidentally overdosing on prescription painkillers. He
was only 32 years old.

Like most unauthorized or unofficial product regarding any famous person,
Brian Epstein: Inside the Fifth Beatle is scattershot, superficial and
heavy with scandal and gossip. Since the lack of access to either the subject or
his realm of influence undermines the ability to share facts and gather
eyewitness accounts, we must rely on the testimony of ever more secondary
suspects who claim the subject's confidence. It's hard to take Alan Williams
seriously (he claims he was the Beatles' first manager, back in their Hamburg,
Germany days) when others completely deny his claims. John Lennon's sister,
Julia Baird (a name that even this big Beatle fan failed to recognize the first
time around) assumes and infers a great deal of information, but where she got
this insight into her brother and his celebrity life is anyone's guess,
considering she seems to draw only mediocre conclusions (and claims in
interviews to be a bigger Rolling Stones fan -- talk about family loyalty...).
When chauffeurs and secretaries are eventually strewn about to toss in their few
shillings about Brian and the boys, the documentary confirms its half-heard,
hearsay quality. This "friend of a friend" sensibility stinks of
slander and conjecture, and is only partially saved by the participation of
Alistair Taylor, Epstein's longtime assistant. Missing a couple of teeth and
playing to the camera with goofy confidence, this actual insider is filled with
excellent stories. In fact, had Brian Epstein: Inside the Fifth Beatle
understood its mission properly, the producers would have simply let Taylor do
the talking for 60 minutes. He brings to this film all the things the rest of
the talking heads can't offer: real access to the issues at hand.

It also needs to be said that any Brian Epstein profile can't help but
wander substantially into Beatles territory, and the notoriously protective
supergroup never authorizes access into any aspect of their affairs. So
you won't hear any of the classic songs the group recorded here. Nor do we hear
from any of the famous musicians themselves (not even Pete Best, whom you'd
figure we leap at the chance to speak his mind). Oh sure, there are newsreel
interviews and radio Q&As with each of the boys, but it's all out-of-context
content, material removed from its original entity and spliced in to make this
movie seem more authentic. Besides, Epstein's story encompassed more than just
the greatest rock and roll combo of all time. What of the other bands Brian
managed? Why do they only get scurrilous mention? Was it too hard to get Cilla
Black, members of Gerry and the Pacemakers, or any of the many lower-echelon
acts he supervised (the Fourmost, the Big Three) to discuss the man who brought
them some manner of recognition and success? Apparently, the answer is yes. And
Brian's stint as a London "correspondent" for NBC's Hullabaloo
is overlooked, only obvious from the couple of clips that are shown. For a film
focusing on a tell-all look at how a hard-edged band of buddies from Liverpool
became the signature sound of the '60s -- and the man who made it all happen --
Brian Epstein: Inside the Fifth Beatle is basically the term paper
version of Epstein's life, skimming over the highlights while avoiding any real
depth or dimension. Even 37 years after his death, Epstein is still a mystery,
the kind of complex character that this documentary can't begin to crack.

At least Passport Video gives us a real life movie here, not some manner of
manipulated clip compilation passing itself off as a light look at certain
singers or commercial products. Narrated with a no-nonsense approach to the
material, and presented in a fairly good looking 1.33:1 full screen aspect
ratio, the interview material suffers from some slight video flaring and color
bleeding. But for the most part, the image is excellent, even with the reliance
on less-than-stellar newsreel and archival footage. Aurally, the Dolby Digital
Stereo keeps the voices at the forefront and the ersatz Merseybeat music far in
the background.

For the first time in this critic's experience with Passport's product, this
DVD actually has extras. Consisting of two extended interview clips (of a former
promoter who booked the Beatles into Carnegie Hall, and a writer for the British
music press at the time) we get the full versions of anecdotes later cut up for
presentation in the film proper. While it's interesting to see what was edited
out, the full stories are not that much more enlightening. Very much like
Brian Epstein: Inside the Fifth Beatle.

Perhaps his story is as simple as the rudimentary approach taken by this
documentary. Maybe all Epstein was good for was laying the foundation from which
a musical mythology would be born. Surely the story of a man marked "the
Fifth Beatle" has more heft to it than stories of suppressed homosexuality
and Colonel Parker-like percentages told here. But Brian Epstein: Inside the
Fifth Beatle cannot offer any of this profundity. It's a tabloid take on
what could have been a very intriguing look at success at a young age. The
Beatles, and Brian, were in their early 20s when superstardom shook their
working-class world. How this shaped Brian's fate is sadly absent in the
borderline character assassination of this saga. Brian is an important cog in
the Beatles' mania machine. To dismiss him is historically inaccurate. Just like
Brian Epstein: Inside the Fifth Beatle.